The New Zealand Māori Council () is a body that represents and consults the

Māori people Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, c ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. As one of the oldest Māori representative groups, the council exerts pressure on New Zealand governments to protect

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

rights.

Structure

In 1962, the council was created by the Maori Welfare Act. The act was renamed to the Maori Community Development Act by the 1979 Maori Purposes Act. The council often acts as the legal entity representing groups of

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

, and offers a forum for them to act collectively. The council is formed of representatives from 16 District Māori Councils. , the council is co-chaired by Harvey Ruru, chair of the Te Tau Ihu District Māori Council, and George Ngatai, chair of the Tamaki ki Te Tonga District Māori Council.

Actions

Land

1987 "Lands" case

The council's opposition to the 1986 State Owned Enterprises Act helped create Section 9 of the act: "Nothing in this Act shall permit the Crown to act in a manner that is inconsistent with the principles of the

." It also resulted in the first written version of the treaty principles that outline the doctrine of partnership, protection, consultation, and compensation for Māori. In 1987, the council was the plaintiff in the historic '' New Zealand Māori Council v Attorney-General'' case. As a result of the case, the Labour Government was blocked from alienating land in transfers to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) when the resources would be subject to

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on c ...

1993 Te Ture Whenua Act

The council led the 1993 reform of Māori land which resulted in the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act. The council was also identified as a key stakeholder in the 2016 Te Ture Whenua Bill.

2012 court action

In 2012, the council filed an application in the High Court for a judicial review of various government decisions in an attempt to postpone the government's mixed-ownership model policy of partial privatization. In December 2012, the High Court ruled against the Māori Council, saying that selling the assets to private investors would not prevent future Treaty of Waitangi claims. Council lawyer Donna Hall said the decision was not unexpected, but spokesperson Rahui Katene said it was disappointing. Prime Minister

John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th prime minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as leader of the National Party from 2006 to 2016. Following his father's death when ...

described the government's court victory as "crushing".

2013 review claim

In September 2013, the council filed a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal over the government's review of the Māori Community Development Act 1962. The review of the act was announced in August 2013 by

Minister of Māori Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

Pita Sharples, and the council claimed that the consultation on the review was inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. The council argued that the review of the act had been Crown-led, which was inappropriate for a Māori body, and that there should have been direct Crown–Māori negotiations from the beginning. On 8 December 2014, the Waitangi Tribunal released "Whaia te Mana Motuhake / In Pursuit of Mana Motuhake: Report on the Māori Community Development Act Claim", including a series of recommendations for the council and

Te Puni Kōkiri Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK, also called in English the Ministry of Māori Development) is the principal policy advisor of the Government of New Zealand on Māori people, Māori wellbeing and development. Te Puni Kōkiri was established under the Māor ...

(Ministry of Māori Development).

Natural resources

When the Crown intended to sell forestry assets in the country, the council intervened. The council established the Crown Forestry Rental Trust to assist claimants with research. This protective mechanism prevented the sale of the forests and has resulted in claimants receiving funds. The council was party to negotiations that led to the 1989 Māori Fisheries Act and the 1992 Sealord settlement, together valued at $700m. Political representation The council took the Crown to the Waitangi Tribunal for not upholding the tino rangatiratanga ("self-determination") of Māori. As a result, funds were made available for Māori organisations to enroll Māori ("Māori electoral option"), thereby increasing Māori seats from four to seven.

Broadcasting

The council held the Crown accountable to its 1993 promise to establish a Māori Television channel. The Māori Television Service now broadcasts over two channels. In 1992, the council took the Crown to the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

and then to the Privy Council to appeal the transfer of broadcasting assets. As a result, Te Māngai Pāho (the Māori Broadcast Funding Agency) was created to fund Māori-language programming, including 21 Māori radio stations. Te Māngai Pāho now spends $55 million per year to support Māori-language programming.

COVID-19

In 2021, the council criticised the government for its handling of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maori Council Māori politics 1962 establishments in New Zealand Māori organisations